Ezra 5

Modern

Literal

Temple Rebuilding Resumes

¹Later, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.

¹And prophesied the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo, to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.

²Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak^a rose up and began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

²Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak rose up, and they began to build the house of God that is in Jerusalem—and with them the prophets of God supporting them.

³At that time Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates,^a Shethar-bozenai, and their associates went to the Jews and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”

³At the same time came to them Tattenai, governor beyond the River, and Shethar-boznai, and their companions, and thus spoke to them: “Who has made to you a decree to build this house and to finish this wall?”

⁴They also asked,^a “What are the names of the men who are constructing this building?”

⁴Then accordingly they said to them, “What are the names of the men who are constructing this building?”

⁵But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so that they were not stopped until a report was sent to Darius and written instructions about this matter were returned.

⁵And the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not make them cease until a report came to Darius, and a letter was returned concerning this.

Tattenai’s Letter to Darius

⁶This is the text of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the officials in the region, sent to King Darius.

⁶This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor beyond the River, and Shethar-boznai, and his companions, the Apharsachites who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king.

⁷The report they sent him read as follows:

To King Darius:

All peace.

⁷They sent a letter to him, and this was written in it: To Darius the king, all peace.

⁸Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. The people are rebuilding it with large stones and placing timbers in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently and is prospering in their hands.

⁸Be it Known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, and it is being built with rolled stones, and timber is being laid in the walls, and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

⁹So we questioned the elders and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”

⁹Then we asked these elders, and thus we spoke to them: “Who made for you a decree to build this house and to finish this wall?”

¹⁰We also asked for their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.^a

¹⁰And also their names we asked of them, to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were at their head.

¹¹And this is the answer they returned:

“We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.

¹¹And thus they returned us an answer, saying, “We are servants of the God of the heavens and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years before this, and a great king of Israel built it and completed it.

¹²But since our fathers angered the God of heaven, He delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean who destroyed this temple and carried away the people to Babylon.

¹²But after that our fathers provoked to wrath the God of the heavens, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon the Chaldean, and this house he destroyed, and the people he removed to Babylon.

¹³In the first year of his reign, however, Cyrus king of Babylon issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.

¹³But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God.

¹⁴He also removed from the temple^a of Babylon the gold and silver articles belonging to the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken and carried there from the temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus gave these articles to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor

¹⁴And also the vessels of the house of God, of gold and silver, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried them into the temple of Babylon, Cyrus the king took them from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.

¹⁵and instructed, ‘Take these articles, put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its original site.’

¹⁵And he said to him, ‘Lift up these articles, go, put them down in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its place.’

¹⁶So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been under construction, but it has not yet been completed.”

¹⁶Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from then on and even until now it is being built, and it is not finished.”

¹⁷Now, therefore, if it pleases the king, let a search be made of the royal archives in Babylon to see if King Cyrus did indeed issue a decree to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

¹⁷And now if it is good to the king, let a search be made in the house of the treasure of the king that is there in Babylon, whether it is that by King Cyrus a decree was issued to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and let us send the will of the king concerning this.